McCain Totally Down With Usher; Obama Cool With Coltrane

The Candidates Do Entertainment Weekly

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 08.07.08 @ 03:12 PM

For those who think Barack Obama's sitdown with Access Hollywood was an abomination and that having Bonnie Fuller offer an analysis of political marketing should be a crime against the state, here's more bad news for you: Both candidates sat down to talk popular culture with Entertainment Weekly. (It's only a matter of time before we get to the part in the election cycle when we see indepth coverage of the candidates' choice in pets. You have pets, right guys?) John McCain's Q&A is here. Obama's is here.

Obama Camp Blasts Gas Station TV

Says Network Is Protecting Oil Company

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 08.06.08 @ 11:48 PM

An earlier post on Campaign Trail noted that Gas Station TV, contrary to an Obama campaign press release issued on Tuesday morning, would not be running ads from Barack Obama -- or any other campaign for that matter. At the time, the Obama campaign said it would issue a response shortly. A few hours later, they've come out swinging, saying GSTV agreed to run the ad and is shutting out Obama in an attempt to protect the oil industry.

No Obama Ads on Gas Station TV

Network Will Not Run Any Political Ads

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 08.06.08 @ 04:52 PM

[UPDATE: Obama Campaign responds in force.]
For consumers already feeling abused at the pump, there will not be the additional pain of political advertising on gas-station screens this election season. Despite claims from the Barack Obama campaign earlier today that one of the candidate's energy-policy ads would be running on Gas Station TV, the company says that just isn't so.

Obama Ad Questions McCain's 'Maverick' Stance

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 08.06.08 @ 10:57 AM

The latest ad from Barack Obama counters a John McCain ad released earlier this week in which the Republican tried to put some distance between himself and George W. Bush. McCain's big problem here is not only that he spent a lot of time on TV during the primary trying to convince Republican voters that he is a true Republican, he spent a lot of time on TV going to bat for Bush over the last four years. Only four seconds into the ad, we're treated to John McCain -- on Fox News no less -- saying, "The president and I agree on most issues. There was a recent study that showed that I voted with the president over 90% of the time." There's been worry that Obama might be perceived as going "off" message if and when he attacks McCain. This execution should comfort those concerned about that. Since it uses McCain's own words, it doesn't come off as underhanded and "negative."

That's Totally Hot: Paris Hilton Responds to McCain

Heiress Pledges Bipartisan Solutions

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 08.06.08 @ 10:40 AM

On the off chance that you've somehow missed the biggest news item of the political cycle, here's a video response from Paris Hilton to John McCain, who compared opponent Barack Obama to the heiress in an ad last week.

Hilton comes off as a celebrity version of Joe Lieberman in the video, offering a hybrid bipartisan solution to the energy crisis by combining elements from the energy policies of McCain and Obama. To be honest, after Obama's most recent "shift" on energy policy, Hilton's plan sounds exactly like his. After offering her solution, Hilton adds: "I'll see you at the debate, bitches."

Special bonus points to Conde Nast Traveler, which gets prominent placement. We're pretty sure the sales team is telling Cadillac, which had the back-cover ad, what kind of added value the marketer got out of this. UPDATE: According to a Conde Nast spokesperson, that Cadillac ad is the inside back cover. Guess someone figured the Grey Goose ad that served as the original cover was too racy for a Paris Hilton ad?

Going for Gold? McCain Makes $6 Million Olympic Buy

Tops Obama Buy by $1 Million

Posted by Ira Teinowitz on 08.05.08 @ 10:45 AM

WASHINGTON (AdAge.com) -- Sen. John McCain's presidential campaign is buying into NBC Universal's Olympics coverage.

The McCain campaign made a last-minute $6 million ad buy, which tops the $5 million Sen. Barack Obama's campaign announced last month it was buying during the Olympic Games, which begin Aug. 8.

Like the Obama team's ad buy, the McCain campaign's purchase includes network and cable spots. NBC Universal is airing 3,600 hours of Olympics coverage on its broadcast network and cable networks including NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, USA Network, Oxygen and Telemundo.

The latest media outlays of both presidential campaigns are the first substantial buys of national network TV by any presidential candidate in 12 years, though Rudy Giuliani's campaign had two smaller national buys on Fox News Sunday broadcasts earlier this year.

In recent years, presidential candidates have targeted their advertising to battleground states, with some cable as their only national advertising.

Why the McCain Ad Works

It's a Pie in the Face

Posted by Evan Tracey on 08.01.08 @ 03:30 PM

There has been a lot of hand-wringing about the recent McCain ad that compares Barack Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton. I have read numerous sources and watched talking heads who have panned the ad as over the top and in poor taste. I have to say as a nonpartisan ad analyst, I think the ad is pure genius.

McCain Compares Obama to Second Coming

Also Accuses Him of Forgetting Latin America

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 08.01.08 @ 03:11 PM

The John McCain campaign just won't let go of Barack Obama's European tour and his popularity. It should be noted that despite the pundit outcry about negative attacks -- along with the cries of racism, fearmongering and desperation -- the McCain camp just keeps plowing along. The most obvious reason for that is because -- duh! -- it works (for now ... and possibly at the expense of some Hilton money and the vote of registered Republican Britney Spears).

Obama Launches LowRoadExpress.com

Posted by Ken Wheaton on 07.31.08 @ 06:34 PM

From the release:

"The Obama campaign launched a new website, LowRoadExpress.com, to answer the barrage of false, negative attacks launched by the McCain campaign. 'The Low Road Express' is a new website that will document and fact check the McCain campaign's misleading and increasingly negative ads. At LowRoadExpress.com the Obama campaign will correct the record and fact check the barrage of false attacks the McCain campaign continues to launch."

Election Year Rains Millions on Media Outlets

And With Less Than 100 Days to go Until November, There's Billions More to Be Spent

Posted by Evan Tracey on 07.31.08 @ 08:06 AM

While there are less than 100 days left to the election, there are still billions of dollars to be spent on ads. With the countdown to Election 2008 upon us, below is your viewing guide to all things political advertising -- from what we have seen to what we expect will keep us talking.